Alfred Kastner (1900-1975), an architect, was born in Germany and came to the United States in 1924. Before emigrating to the U.S. Kastner was educated at the State University in Hamburg. In the U.S., Kastner partnered with Oskar Stonorov. In 1934 their firm designed Philadelphia's Carl Mackley houses, which was the first limited, divided, self-supporting housing project financed by the Public Works Administration. This project was an example of the International style of architecture. Later, Kastner, with Louis I. Kahn assisting, designed the Roosevelt Project (Hightstown, NJ), which was among the U.S.'s first fully integrated communities. In 1940 Kastner served as the city architect for Albany, Georgia, where he worked on major reconstruction projects following severe tornado damage in the area. He served as Director of the Bureau of Advanced Housing at Princeton University from 1965 to 1971, where he worked to rationalize techniques used in housing construction. His work was international in scope, but concentrated on commercial and residential projects in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
From the guide to the Alfred Kastner papers, 1897-1976 (bulk 1930-1975), (University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.)
